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Cleveland Guardians 2025 wish list involves young hitters, Naylor brothers, injury luck
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- Cleveland Guardians 2025 wish list involves young hitters, Naylor brothers, injury luck
CLEVELAND — It was fitting that one of the best gifts the Guardians gave to Cleveland baseball fans in 2024 came in the form of Jhonkensy Noel — Big Christmas — and his two-run home run that extended Game 3 of the American League Championship Series .
The Guardians have a few moments like that in October, including Lane Thomas' grand slam off of Tarik Skubal that propelled Cleveland into the ALCS and David Fry's two clutch home runs , one against the Detroit Tigers and one against the New York Yankees .
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But in the end, the Guardians fell three wins short of a trip to the World Series, their ultimate goal. In an effort to get there in 2025, here's what would top the Guardians' wish list this holiday season.
Guardians DH David Fry breaks his bat hitting a single against the New York Yankees during Game 5 of the ALCS, Oct. 19, 2024, in Cleveland.
Guardians wish No. 1: Injury rehabs for Shane Bieber , David Fry , others go smoothly
The club's medical team has about as much importance to start the 2025 season as any department in the organization.
Shane Bieber, coming off of Tommy John surgery, was re-signed to a one-year deal that includes a player option for 2026 . He'll almost certainly start the season on the injured list, with a return around the midway point of the season looking like the most probable outcome, though there's a lot of variance there.
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At some point, the Guardians will welcome Bieber back to the starting rotation and see where he stands compared to where he left off. It'll be a similar situation as Matthew Boyd a year ago.
Then there's David Fry, who had an elbow surgery of his own. He's likely to miss the first few months of the regular season, and once he does return, he's expected to be relegated to only designated hitter duties through 2025. It doesn't look like he'll play the field until 2026.
In both cases, the Guardians are hoping for swift, clean, bump-free rehabs for two key pieces on the roster.
Then there's Sam Hentges (shoulder surgery) and Trevor Stephan (Tommy John surgery), who could be rehabbing on the 60-day injured list for the entirety of 2025 while targeting a return for Opening Day 2026.
Guardians starter Triston McKenzie delivers a pitch against the Yankees on April 13, 2024, in Cleveland.
Guardians wish No. 2: Triston McKenzie , Logan Allen , Joey Cantillo step up to help starting rotation
This has already been addressed to an extent by the Bieber signing and the trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates that brought in Luis Ortiz, but the Guardians will still need someone to take charge and take control of a rotational spot or two.
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Tanner Bibee and Luis Ortiz likely have two spots. Ben Lively and Gavin Williams are probably the top contenders. Then there's a group that includes Joey Cantillo, Logan Allen, Triston McKenzie and Doug Nikhazy who all could battle for at least one spot in the starting rotation this spring.
Cantillo and Nikhazy are the less-experienced options. McKenzie and Allen are looking for bounce-back 2025s after disastrous 2024s. The Guardians would love for one or two of those pitchers to look strong enough this spring to round out the rotation.
Guardians center fielder Myles Straw sits in the dugout alone after losing Game 4 of an ALDS to the Yankees, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, in Cleveland.
Guardians wish No. 3: Myles Straw becomes a useful bench player
From a financial flexibility standpoint , the Guardians are in a much better (in a way, cleaner) position than they were in the recent past.
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Jean Segura was still technically being paid by the Guardians, who acquired his bad contract in exchange for Josh Bell 's even worse contract and middle infield prospect Khalil Watson. Segura was immediately released, but the final year of his deal remained on their books.
Scott Barlow and Ramon Laureano didn't finish the season with the club. James Karinchak never pitched in the major leagues.
Segura, Barlow, Laureano and Karinchak had combined salaries totaling more than $22 million, and the Guardians received very-little-to-no positive production from that group. At the very least, though, that money is off their books for 2025.
Which brings us to Myles Straw .
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Straw made $4.9 million in 2024, and he'll make $6.4 million in 2025. Unless something drastic changes, he'll make $7.4 million in 2026 before the Guardians can buy out the two club option years for $2.25 million.
As for 2025, that money is on the books. And at this point, Guardians hope they can just obtain some value from Straw as a defensive/speed on the basepaths option off the bench. He has elite defense and speed, so even if he can't provide much value as a hitter or everyday player, the Guardians could use him late in games as an asset. It isn't ideal for $6.4 million, but it's better than him taking up at-bats in Triple-A as a veteran.
Josh Naylor of the Guardians flies out in the fourth inning against the Yankees in Game 5 of the ALCS, Oct. 19, 2024 in Cleveland.
Guardians wish No. 4: Positive outcomes with both Naylor brothers
At present, the Naylor brothers figure to play major roles in how the Guardians lineup performs in 2025 (or, how it's constructed).
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Josh Naylor is entering the last year of club control. If he remains in Cleveland, they'll hope that he can sustain his first-half 2024 numbers over the course of an entire year. He's also a key trade candidate , as Kyle Manzardo figures to have the inside path to the long-term job at first base, and Fry's injury places him into the DH spot once he returns.
Bo Naylor , still only 24 years old, taking the offensive development leap that they believe is there would be a huge boost to the bottom of their order. Finding offensive production from the catcher position hasn't been easy for Cleveland since the days of Yan Gomes .
Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo runs after hitting a first-inning double against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS, Oct. 18, 2024, in Cleveland.
Guardians wish No. 5: Kyle Manzardo, Chase DeLauter, Brayan Rocchio , Jhonkensy Noel bolster the 2025 lineup
Whether Josh Naylor is traded or if he remains, the Guardians are looking to further bolster their lineup after taking a big step forward in 2024. Noel had some monster moments, Brayan Rocchio had a tremendously productive October, Manzardo seemed to take strides at the end of the year and Chase DeLauter could be a huge addition in right field. Travis Bazzana also could be a factor if he can race through the upper levels of the minor leagues.
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That group of young, talented hitters could be Cleveland's key to finding the lineup length for which they've been searching.
Cleveland outfielders Will Brennan (left) and Steven Kwan celebrate after beating the Seattle Mariners, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Cleveland.
Guardians wish No. 6: Some payroll flexibility can be put to use this winter
The Andres Gimenez trade has left the Guardians with some questions to answer at second base , but also some long-term payroll flexibility (as well as a clearer path for Bazzana to the majors).
Gimenez was set to have a base salary of $10 million in 2025, followed by $15 million in 2026 and then $23 million in 2027, 2028 and 2029. He remains an elite defensive infielder (arguably the single best in baseball), but his offense had declined a bit, and unless he's able to rebound to his 2022, top-10 MVP levels, the contract was looking less like a value.
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Guardians contracts: Guardians contract extension candidates include Steven Kwan, Tanner Bibee, Lane Thomas
That's a good chunk of money the Guardians can use as resources to bolster the roster in free agency, add options in trade negotiations and/or lock up other internal players to long-term deals.
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase wears the City Connect uniform.
Guardians wish No. 7: The bullpen returns for 2025 recharged after a busy 2024
The Guardians leaned into their bullpen in the postseason, which was clearly their best chance to advance to the World Series.
But there will always be a concern of how pitchers recover and respond after a season like that. It's why many starting pitchers won't be given more than a 20% increase in innings year over year, especially when they first get to the major leagues (those innings are seen as more stressful).
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The likes of Emmanuel Clase , Cade Smith , Hunter Gaddis and several others are majorly important to the Guardians' 2025 hopes. They'll likely need the starting rotation to collectively carry more innings heading into the postseason. Clase and a few others struggled a bit in the ALCS , which is something Cleveland Can ill afford to have happen again, thus increasing the importance of how they recover and how they can be protected during the regular season.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians 2025 wish list involves Shane Bieber, Kyle Manzardo, Naylors
